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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · pop · wind · mate · toast · calf · saw · foot

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mate — to breed
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. clip — for paper
  7. saw — the tool
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. clip — a video
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pop — to visit
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. clip — to cut
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. saw — the tool
  19. foot — a measure
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mate — a friend
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. toast — bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com